• mondomon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      3 days ago

      Holy crap I forgot about this. Reminds me of Midsommer. I think I also read about this ritual in “The Golden Bough.”, but it’s been awhile.

    • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 days ago

      no. It would take a far larger imbalance in the population for it to be truly unmanageable. The real danger is not to the labor we can do, but the security of the empire we may live in. Other empires might exploit the lack of fighting age citizens, and this isn’t a fabricated threat. Invasion from more “efficient” empire is a constant consideration that requires a sizable younger population to guard against.

      However, this isn’t a problem inherent to every society that could ever exist, only constantly reinforced by the desires of systems and people to conquer and dominate.